The Dating Game

Chapter Twenty-One

Justin

"I can't believe you bought a guitar with the money," Jazmyn said, sitting on the bed.

The precious, acoustic guitar was right underneath her, presumably accumulating a coating of dust above it already. I'm only able to get it out when Mom's out of the apartment.

The guitar I had purchased was Maritime SWS Semi-Gloss Natural 6-String Acoustic which was just under seven hundred bucks. There would be a letter come in the post soon of my transactions. Just as long as I could always intercept the post, Jazmyn and I would be safe with our bank accounts.

"Sh," I hissed, throwing my hands up in the air. I was simultaneously gathering all of the information and Music notes to take to the library for Juliet whilst making sure Jazmyn kept her voice quiet so Mom wouldn't eavesdrop. She was bringing her own and collectively, we'd have more.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You should have saved up."

"I needed the guitar," I muttered. Jazmyn, as much as I loved her, could very well get on my last nerve sometimes because she knew just what buttons to press.

The phone rang from the kitchen but I ignored it. At the moment, it was only a faint, grating buzzing sound. With each moment that passed with the phone remaining unanswered, the percentage of my insanity was mounting. Until finally, Mom rushed out of her room from showing to answer the phone; that's probably the most exercise she got today.

She'd been moaning ceaselessly about not seeing Dawson for three days. He's coming round tomorrow, at any rate. That would mean I'd have to put up with his incessant digressing about rock band that used to be deemed "popular" in the small barns and pubs from the sixties. Even Jazmyn had her limitations when it came to Dawson.

It was Saturday morning now and I'd have to commence my voyage to meet up with Juliet at the library by half ten. I wanted to make sure I'd be early for her so I wouldn't keep her waiting. I had to prove myself in some way, didn't I? The fact that my personal life would knock me back was already acknowledgeable to me.

"Come on, let's have breakfast," I declared. "I'm running out of time."

Arms adamantly crossed over her stubborn self, Jazmyn followed behind me to the kitchen. Mom had just mounted the phone back into its case on the wall as Jazmyn slipped some bread into the toaster. Mom was merely wearing a dressing gown, halfway through the protocol which was here makeup routine.

Mom, with cheeks reddening, stayed by the counter as Jazmyn and I kept out of her way. In a matter of minutes, our toast was done and we were sat at the table, munching on our butter-smothered toast. Mom put her hands on the table next to me just as I gulped down a large tearing of the toast. I licked my lips.

"So," Mom began, her tone betraying her and sounding infuriated, "I just got a phone call from the bank. You know what they just told me? That my two children have got new bank accounts and one of them used their card to activate it. They also said who set up the accounts and sent you the letters."

I had already stopped eating, too paralysed with shock and fear from what Mom might do next. She slammed her fists down on the table, causing Jazmyn to shriek loudly. Her shriek abruptly ceased quickly due to Mom glowering at her. The tension was palpable in the air and it was still escalating.

Trying not to let her outburst get to me, I quickly devoured the last of my food and pushed my chair back, grazing the side of her pink, fluffy slipper. "I'd love to stay and chat about this all day," I declared, "but this conversation makes me weary and I have some place I need to be." Depositing my plate in the sink, I turned around to see Mom in my face already. My back in the edge of the sink, and I presumed it had indented my back, too.